Known principally for his bestselling In Search of Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dr. Radu Florescu now takes us on a magical tour of the origins of the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, exploring both the myth and the history that has captivated so many since the Middle Ages, and has been immortalized in Browning's famous poem. There are intriguing insights and speculations on the genuine history on which the poet relied and an explanation for his choice of Transylvania as the end of the child exodus from Hamelin town. Most plausible is the author's adoption of the history of a German military leader, leading the youths on a colonizing expedition to the Baltic lands where they all perished in a shipwreck. The author also links the story of a genuine rat infestation in Hamelin with the child exodus - a good opportunity to examine that pest's nuisance value from the time of the great plague to the German siege of Stalingrad in World War II. All in all a thoroughly intriguing and well-written book. Dr. Florescu, Professor of History emeritus at Boston College, Consul emeritus of Romania for New England. He received his BA, MA and B.Lit. degrees from Oxford University (Christ Church College) and his Ph.D. in History from Indiana University. He is currently Director of the East European Research Center at Boston College and the author of numerous works on East European and Romanian history.